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| Anti-gay talking heads flanked Pence when he signed the 'religious liberty' bill last year. |
There is a line from Shakespeare's King Lear which I repeat at times:
"To willful men, the injuries they procure must be their own schoolmasters."
What it means is that if a man is so stubborn that he will not change a disastrous course, well then he must learn from the mistake by the negative results of his actions. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is one such man.
After the huge debacle last year when he signed a vicious anti-gay bill into law (under the guise of religious freedom), one would think that Pence would at least have learned from it. One would think that he wouldn't want to go through all of that national embarrassment again.
Think again. From The New Civil Rights Movement:
For a brief moment during Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's State of the State Address on Tuesday, it sounded as though he might have learned his lesson from the state and national outcry over his decision to sign an anti-LGBT “religious freedom” law last year.
It sounded as though, after 10 months of studying the issue, Pence would finally heed the calls of Democrats, some business-minded Republicans, LGBT advocates and hundreds of the state’s employers, by endorsing a statewide law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
"Our state Constitution declares that all people are created equal, and I believe that no one should be harassed or mistreated because of who they are, who they love, or what they believe," Pence said near the end of his widely anticipated speech. "We cherish the dignity and worth of all our citizens. Here in Indiana, we are an open and welcoming state that welcomes anyone, and anyone that doesn’t know that doesn’t know Indiana."
Then, things took a dramatic turn for the worse.
"Hoosiers also cherish faith, and the freedom to live out their faith in their daily lives," Pence added. "Whether you work in a church or a synagogue or a temple or a mosque, religion brings meaning to the daily lives of millions of Hoosiers and no one should ever fear persecution because of their deeply held religious beliefs."
And of course folks aren't happy. According to Yahoo:
After Tuesday's speech, the group Indiana Competes, which represents prominent state business interests — including Cummins Inc., Eli Lilly and Co. and the NCAA — expressed disappointment with Pence's remarks."We were looking for a moment of leadership, and what we got is a shoulder shrug," said group spokesman Peter Hanscom, who said Pence's conciliatory words won't stop discrimination against gay people in employment, housing and public accommodation.
Pence's stance is ridiculous. He is yet another politician who places lgbt equality and religious beliefs in opposing camps while knowing fully that this notion comes from anti-gay industry talking heads masquerading as voices of faith.
Apparently he has learned nothing from the last go round. I have a feeling that he will learn this time. So well in fact that he will know it in his sleep. That is if he doesn't already.
I think there is something you need to understand about Indiana. We are, above all else, a polite society. There is a reason why the term, "Hoosier hospitality" was coined. The thing is, this makes the dynamics of our politics very strange. There are really very few nasty anti-gay people in Indiana. You know, the ones who would hold up signs to tell you that you are going to hell. Given the grand wizard of the KKK is from Indiana that may be hard to believe, but it is true. Not that they aren't here, but in truth, most find that simply impolite. Most the anti-gay Hoosiers are more likely to smile politely and clap nicely when the pride march walks by. They don't want to be rood to people putting on a pretty show for them. But if there was a vote the very next day on our civil rights, they'd vote against them.
ReplyDeleteMost will say they are so nice, none of the issues we talk about are real. Why do you need protection from discrimination, when all you need to do is not tell people your privet business? Really, they believe that. The fact is, those same people who smiled and waved, and told their kids to smile and wave at the march going by are more likely to vote for the republican promising to discriminate against you than not.
The fact is, the outcry against these laws isn't so loud because the majority of Hoosiers are opposed to it, but because the one's for it are really just to proper and 'nice' to say so in front of people they may actually genuinely like. In many ways, Indiana is just as racist and anti-gay as the most backwater area of the deep south. You'll probably see just about as many confederate flags in Indiana as you likely would in Kentucky. They will smile nicely and even offer you iced tea, or a cup of coffee as they tell you that you are inferior to them, and it is god's will for you to be so. And they will never see the hypocrisy in it.
Because of all this, it sounds like Indiana is staunchly opposed to these laws he is passing, but the truth is, the majority of voters are all for it. Most likely, they don't think it goes far enough.